“Get Out”

As Chvrches approach their third album, the Scottish trio is clearly looking in two directions at once. Frontwoman Lauren Mayberry has said the upcoming record will be “the most pop stuff we’ve done and also the most aggressive and vulnerable.” They brought in uber-producer Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck), whose work Mayberry praised for juggling “big pop” with “a bit of saltiness.” Their first single from the album is called “Get Out,” but they promoted it with a cryptic video captioned “GET IN.”

Chvrches are a band equally at home with Paramore or Sleater-Kinney. But somehow, “Get Out” manages neither the best of “big pop” nor does it contain any particular saltiness. Uncharacteristically bludgeoning handclaps join their characteristic synths, the generic title turns into a hook through sheer repetition, and Mayberry tells off someone whose “good intentions”—if you can believe this—were “never good enough.” She does cleverly twist a line from former tourmates Death Cab for Cutie, repeating, “You were a kaleidoscope.” For the rest of the album, though, let’s hope Chvrches have other ways planned of bringing their conflicting visions into sharper focus.